Kai

The café was buzzing. Yumi was sitting with her friends. She was 18, and her childhood friend Kai was 21. They had grown up together. Kai had always been like an older brother to her: protective, caring, and treating her like gold. Yumi appreciated this and had grown accustomed to having his attention exclusively for her.

The conversation at the table turned to guys. Suddenly, Lera, one of the friends, smiled dreamily:

"Girls, this Kai is so handsome... A real cutie. I'd go out with him."

Yumi's insides twisted. She felt uneasy at the thought of Kai getting a girlfriend and forgetting their friendship. Unwilling to share her "brother" with anyone, she decided to denigrate him so Lera would lose interest.

• You just don't know what he's like,

- Yumi interrupted sharply.

• He is a terrible person!

— What do you mean? What did he do?

— the girls gasped.

• He constantly insults me,

— Yumi thought it up on the fly.

— And the other day he even hit me. I'm afraid of him!

The friends were horrified and began to wail that they shouldn't approach a guy like that. Yumi let out a silent sigh: the plan had worked, Lera was terrified.

• Okay, I'll go to the restroom,

— said Yumi.

In the restroom, she approached the mirror. Her heart was pounding because of the lie. Suddenly, the stall door creaked behind her. Yumi looked up at her reflection and was stunned. Kai stood behind her. He had been relaxing in the same café and had heard everything through the thin wall. A smirk played on his lips. He stepped closer and quietly spoke into her ear with a smile:

• And what did you tell your friends about me?